Goddess Tear
by LonelyBallerina
Summary: Amber had a horrible past and unconsciously wants to seek revenge. Will her vengeance stop her from becoming a gypsy? And also, will love be on her side? Disclaimer: I don't own RO. Some parts will be based on RO offline, please R&R my first fanfic. Thnx!
1. Last Requirement

Chapter 1: The Last Requirement

Another Ragnarok Fanfic

A/N: This is my first fanfic ever. Please don't judge it harshly and I'll really appreciate any suggestions or whatsoever. Honestly, I don't really know where this is going so, I'm gonna need the help I can get. Thanks!

Chapter 1: The Last Requirement

It's been a week since Amber passed her Dancer test and now, she's wearing less than she ever has. It's been really tiring collecting sticky mucus, jellopies, red potions and etc. At the moment, she's just accompanying Trish with her Wizard test in Geffen. She sat on a bench and waited for her best friend.

"Amber! Amber!" she looked over her shoulder and saw Trish running towards her.

"Eh? I thought you're going to pass your Wizard test. What're you doing here?"

"She didn't have enough Crystal Blues" Yumiko, her pet Sohee said.

"Shut up! I've had enough of you complaining every time," she turned to Amber and said, "Anyway, do you have any?"

"Uh…yeah. Here take 'em all. I don't need 'em anyway" Amber gave Trish three Crystal Blues.

"Thank you! Thank you, Amber. I promise I'll treat you with as much sushi you can eat" she then hurried off inside the tower with Yumiko floating behind her. Amber looked around and saw vendors and lots of different people with different jobs. For a few minutes, she twirled her blonde hair and shifted positions. With a sigh, she said to herself, "This is going to take a while. Might as well try a new skill"

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Outside the gates of Geffen, there were Yellow Plants and various types of little critters. She readied her whip and aimed for a Rhoda frog hopping here and there. "Throw arrow!" with that, the Rhoda frog was hit and then started running after her.

"Aaaahhh!!" while running, she switched her whip with her bow and arrow. Then, she tried another skill which she mastered a long time ago. "Double Strafe!" this time, the monster was hopping low which meant it was already weak. She gave it another Double Strafe and the Rhoda frog died and disappeared. She looked at the drops of the monster she killed. "Hmph, nothing to eat there" she said as her stomach growled.

"Aww…I'm so hungry! What is taking her so long?" she whined. "Excuse me, miss" someone said from behind her. She turned around and saw a Gunslinger with red hair smiling at her. "What is it?" Amber asked. "I heard you're hungry so I was wondering if you would accept my offer of taking you to a date" he said with a friendly smile.

"That would be…TOTALLY INSANE!" she answered. The gunslinger blinked a few times and said, "Wh-what?" "Look pal, it's not because that I'm a dancer you can easily ask me out with some bribe. I know I'm hungry but I'm not desperate. So, scamper away and leave me alone" she said with pride. The gunslinger was taken aback. "Why you little-" he said as he raised his gun in front of Amber's forehead.

"I was being nice to you, little lady" he said. Amber showed no sign of fear and didn't even move. "I don't need your kindness. I can take care of myself" Amber replied as she folded her arms. The gunslinger snarled and was about to hit Amber with his shotgun when someone tackled him from behind. "Hey, take it easy. You won't hurt a pretty lady like her, would you?" the guy said from behind the gunslinger.

"What lady? She talks like no lady at all and yes, I can hurt her and I will" the gunslinger replied. The man who appears to be a knight grabbed the gun and threw it away; he then turned to Amber and raised his hand "I'm Josh, by the way. How 'bout you?" he said with a smile. The knight had chestnut brown hair and brown eyes. 'He's really…cute' Amber thought. "Uh…miss?" Josh said.

"Y-yes?" Amber stuttered.

"What's your name?"

"I-it's Amber" she said with a smile

"What's wrong with you? Don't you know that this gun cost my whole month's salary?" the gunslinger said as he tried hard to shine his gun with his hand.

The knight laughed and said, "Hey Brick, this pretty lady here is Amber" he turned to Amber and said, "Amber, this is Brick, my party mate"

"Hehe. Sorry 'bout earlier, Brick. It's just that since I've passed my Dancer test, everyone seemed to be a little…irrespective" Amber stated.

Brick examined Amber's face as if testing if she's lying. "That's okay. I think I know what you're talking about" he said "So, about that date?"

"In your dreams" Amber replied.

"But, I thought we're already friends"

"We are but speaking of friends, I gotta find Trish"

"Who's she?" Josh asked

"My best friend, she's taking a test in Geffen tower. I'm here to accompany her"

"Oh. Anyway, it's been nice knowing you and I hope we'll see each other again" Josh said with a wave and left.

"I do hope we meet again, Josh" Amber muttered under her breath.

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Amber went back to the bench where she sat before and saw Trish wearing the same Mage outfit and Yumiko looking glum beside her. "Trish? How did your test go?" she asked but deep inside, she was nervous and scared that maybe Trish didn't pass. Trish gazed at her, teary eyed. "I-I didn't pass" she sniffed. Amber looked at Yumiko, she was obviously sobbing as she bowed her head. "Wh-what?" she asked, she closed her fist "Why those wretched- Where the hell are they? I'm gonna pound their faces!"

Amber turned around and started to walk towards the tower but stopped when she heard snickering from behind. She looked over her shoulder and saw Yumiko hugging her stomach, laughing. "Oh hell. I so hate you right now" Amber said.

Trish was laughing hard but then said, "You should've seen your face. It was hilarious!" "Whatever" Amber said, rolling her eyes. "C'mon, let's go eat. We're both hungry anyway and Yumi-chan's been whining since we left you" Trish said as she wiped her tears. Amber nodded.

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"Did you really think I didn't pass?" Trish asked while they walked towards the nearest pub in Geffen. "Of course, after all, you're not a good mage" Amber said sarcastically. "Ha-ha. And you're not a good joker" Trish turned to Yumiko "Hey Yumi-chan, what would you like to eat?"

"Anything 'cause you haven't feed me since breakfast and it's in the middle of the aft-" Yumiko was cut off by Trish. "I'll feed you if you shut up" she said. Yumiko nodded.

"Don't worry, Yumi-chan. She's going to feed you," Amber said.

"Yeah right" Trish said as she untangled her purple hair with her Bunny Band.

"Oh I almost forgot. I met this really cute guy earlier and he said I was-" Amber froze as she opened the door.

"Amber? What is it?" Trish asked. Amber didn't move and her eyes were locked on a table. In that certain table, were the people she met earlier that day. Brick and Josh. Trish grabbed Amber's arm inside and let her sit on a chair. "What's wrong with you, Amber? You seem weird…wait, weirder" Trish said as she sat opposite her but Amber's gaze was still locked on Josh.

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Josh sat uncomfortably in his seat. Someone is watching him but he tried to ignore it. "Amber is hic really hot, right?" Brick said as he drank his Green Beer.

"Yeah but she's also pretty and not to mention smart" Josh stated.

"Eh? hic How can you tell she's smart? hic If she's smart, she should've accepted my offer!"

"That's why she's smart 'cause she didn't go with you. Tsk. You're drunk, you should go the inn and I'll pay here. Angel might be looking for you"

"Pffft. Who cares 'bout hic Angel? I'm not afraid of her" Brick was waving his mug as he talked.

"As a matter of fact, you are and she's much younger than you" Josh said as he stood up. He was getting annoyed by the person who was looking at him but he still didn't look back. "Stand up and go home, Brick. Angel will kill us both if you came late"

"It's just hic a stupid meeting. And urp Uh-oh. I think you're right, I'm going home" he said as he stood up and left. With a sigh, he turned around and saw a dancer looking at him. "Hey Amber!" he said as he waved to her. She was with another girl and a Sohee.

"Uh…h-hey Josh. This is Trish and her pet, Yumiko"

"Hi to you two. I'm Josh and well, Brick just left" he said as he smirked.

"Come sit with us if you like" Amber offered.

"No thanks. I'm just here to pay the tab and then I'm leaving"

"You're leaving again?" Amber said as she pouted.

'She's so cute' Josh thought as he slightly blushed.

"Unfortunately yes but we'll see each other again, am I right?"

"I hope so" Amber said. "Yeah. We hope so too" Trish said as she glanced at Yumiko who, on the other hand, smiled.

"Well, it was nice meeting you all and I'm afraid I have to go now" Josh said as he straightened up.

"Bye Josh" Amber said as she waved at him.

"Yeah bye Josh" said Trish, imitating Amber. Josh smiled then left.

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Josh started to walk towards the inn. From afar, he saw a Professor with long ebony hair talking to Brick. He can't help but smile. "Hey Angel!" he said as he waved to the woman. She glared as she walked towards him. "What the hell, Josh? I thought you're going to be in the meeting? And then this happened!" she said as she pointed to Brick who was throwing up behind a bush.

"We _were_ going to the meeting but Brick ended up being drunk" Josh explained.

"To hell with you! Now we're going to be late! sigh Better late than never," she said "Hurry up. Room 4" she then disappeared inside the inn.

"Hehe. I didn't know an angel can be such a pain in the ass" Brick said as he wiped his face with the back of his hand.

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Inside the room, there were Angel, Crimson, Josh, Brick, Paige, Charm and Glass. All were party mates. Crimson, an Assassin Cross and the leader of the party, stood up and punched Brick. "OW! What the hell?" Brick said as he wiped the blood on his cheek.

"That's for being drunk in the middle of the afternoon, asshole" Crimson replied.

"Relax, Crimson. We've started late already" Charm, the party's Priestess, said.

"groan What's with this meeting anyway? I had to teleport three times 'till I got here" Paige, the Hunter, said as she fed her Falcon.

"I've called this meeting because of the threat I've received this morning" Angel said as she stood up. "And who gave you the right to call a meeting? You're not the party leader" Paige said as she raised her brow. "I gave her the permission" Crimson said.

"What kind of threat is it anyway?" Brick slouched on his seat.

"It's not really a threat, it's more like a challenge" Charm explained as she tied her green hair into a bun and sealed it with a nurse cap.

"What challenge?" Josh asked.

"PVP. We think it's from Skull's party. He's been trying to annihilate each and every one of us since our party started" Glass, the Star Gladiator said as he put an arm around her girlfriend, Charm.

"That's why we need new members" Crimson inserted "Any strong members will do as long as they're in 2nd class"

"I think I know where to find members" Brick said as he eyed Josh.

"Yeah, we met them earlier"

"Hmm. Maybe you _do_ have worth, Brick. Good thing we didn't kick you out" Crimson said sarcastically.

Brick snorted. "So, where _will_ we find these new members?" Angel asked.

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After lunch, Amber, Trish and Yumiko were walking around Geffen to look for supplies. "I think we need milk and a few meats, don't you think?" Trish said as she studied the stalls around her.

"Think so...Do you think we'll see Josh again?" Amber asked.

"Who knows?" Trish said reluctantly.

"sigh, we should hurry back to Prontera."

"Okay. Yumi-chan, let's go" Trish said to Yumiko who's munching on pet food as she floated towards them.

They walked to the nearest Kafra and set their destination. Everything seemed to change appearance around them and the buildings in Prontera can nearly be seen. With a few more seconds, they can be teleported to their destination. "Amber! Wait!" someone from near them shouted but it was too late, they were in another city.

"Did you hear that, Trish?" Amber asked when they were finally in Prontera. "Hear what?" Trish asked as she arranged the Bunny Band on her head again "groan I hate it when we teleport and my hair gets like this"

"Nevermind. How 'bout you, Yumi-chan, did you hear that?"

Yumiko shook her head. "I think you're hearing things, Amber. Maybe it's from seeing Josh" Trish said.

"You're being annoying again, Trish"

"Then that means I'm being myself, Amber"

"Whatever"

"Haha. I win!" Amber said as she jumped up and down

Amber narrowed her eyes at Trish. "I thought we're going to complete that list of yours"

"Oh yeah. Almost forgot, let's go"

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"Was that the new member you were talking 'bout, huh Josh?" Glass asked as he stood beside him. "pant pant Yeah" Josh answered as he regained his breath. "Tsk. Do you know where she went?" Brick asked. Josh shook his head.

"A dancer? smirk Is she really strong?" Paige asked from behind. "Or did you pick her just because she's hot_ and _pretty?" Crimson joked.

"I'll ask the Kafra where she went," Charm suggested. "I'll go with you" Josh said as he followed her.

"Don't you dare lay hands on my Charm, Josh. I swear I'll kill you before you even know it" Glass shouted.

"I know he's not joking when he said he'll kill me" Josh said. "I know that too" Charm said with a smile.

They approached the Kafra and Charm asked, "Umm…miss? May we ask where the dancer and the wizard just went?"

The Kafra turned to look at them and said, "I'm sorry, ma'am but we don't give away information such as that"

"Even though it's really important?" Josh asked. The Kafra nodded and said, "I'm really sorry, sir"

"Thanks anyway" Charm said as they both walked away. The moment they were a few meters away, Josh asked, "That's it? Just like that? I thought we really needed new members?!"

"Be patient, Josh. Kafra members stand their ground and obey the rules no matter what. So, we don't have a choice" Charm replied.

"sigh I suppose you're right but what will we do?" Josh asked. They stopped when they were in front of their party mates.

"What happened? Do you know where they-" Crimson was cut off. Charm shook her head. "Dammit! Now what?" Brick asked. "We'll split up and go to each city" Angel said.

"Wow. That means we're really desperate" Glass said and Angel nodded.

They gathered near the tower and planned. "Angel and I are going to Morroc then Izlude. If we don't find them, we'll meet in Amatsu" Crimson said. "Josh and I will be in Prontera and then Payon. Right, Josh?" Paige said as she giggled. "Great. Who am I going with, then?" Brick asked. "Beats me. I'm going with my Charm here" Glass said and Charm hugged him. Then, Charm created portals and each disappeared within seconds.


	2. The Search

Chapter 2: The Search

LonelyBallerina: There are some corrections in the recent chapter that kumiko-kunoichi gladly pointed out.

First, on the seventh interval wherein the party members are in Room 4, the sentence: Glass, the Star Gladiator said as he put an arm around her girlfriend, Charm. It should be: Glass, the Star Gladiator said as he put an arm around HIS girlfriend, Charm.

Second, on the eighth interval, the sentence: Amber said as she jumped up and down; should be: TRISH said as she jumped up and down.

Sorry for the mistakes. Pls. notify me whenever I make one. Anyway…

Will Amber meet the rest of the party members? If yes, will she join them? Let's find out.

A/N: Wow. I really suck at this opening remarks thing. Anyway, please try to enjoy my chapter. Hehe. I think I'm begging here smile Uh…Enjoy! …At least, try to.

Last note: This is kind of rushed (again) because of our incoming exams. Since I really wanted to move on to the next chapter already, I just published it. Now, I'm going to eat my words; I'll accept any comments (even though it's harsh).

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Josh and Paige warped to Prontera as planned. They were scouring the city for almost an hour and it was in the middle of the afternoon. "We won't finish this quest unless we split up" Josh said out of the blue. "What?! Aww…but I wanna be with you, Josh. Don't you want to be with me too?" Paige said as she hugged Josh's arm tighter and pouted.

'So annoying' Josh thought to himself, "Uh…Paige, I really want to get this over with so, how 'bout you search the left side of the city while I'm on the other?"

"Hmph. Okay, fine. But as soon as we're finished here, we'll meet at the inn, okay?" Paige said as she giggled again.

"Don't forget, she has blonde hair and blue eyes and-"

"I know, I know" Paige said, a little annoyed.

Josh nodded, "Okay" and then went his way.

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Amber tagged along Trish and Yumiko while they shopped for items. "I'm really tired, Trish. Can't we even rest?" Yumiko whined from behind. "Don't worry, Yumi-chan. You're not the only one who's tired. _Some_ of us can't even take a hint here!" Amber said obviously referring to the wizard.

"sweatdrop C'mon, guys. There's only a few more on my list. A little while won't hurt, right?" Trish begged. "It won't…when you used it the first time!" Amber said.

"Thanks! I know you'd understand" Trish said.

Yumiko and Amber looked at each other puzzled. "Did we say anything that-" Amber was cut off. "Okay, next thing on my list are blue herbs. I think some merchants here have just the thing, don't you?" Amber opened her mouth to talk but stopped when Trish cut her off again. "I thought so"

"groan Why am I even stuck with you? Can't we just go to the inn by ourselves? Yumi-chan and I are exhausted here" Amber said, annoyed.

"After we get the herbs, please?" Trish said

"Not gonna happen"

"Pretty please?"

"Nope"

"Pretty please with a huge cherry…wait, you don't like cherries, with a huge plump raspberry on top?"

"….Alright, but we'll go to the inn after, got it?"

Trish nodded fast that her bunny band almost fell off.

'I should really learn to say no infinity' Amber thought.

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Josh passed by a lot of people in Prontera. It almost seemed crowded with merchants yelling out the items they sell. 'Okay, just keep an eye out for a blonde, blue-eyed, pretty, sexy dancer'. The search for Amber went on for a lot of minutes.

Searching …

Still searching…

He finally grew tired of looking for her that he went to the inn with little hope left. 'Maybe she's not here…but I will find her in any case'. He waited in the room which he rented for himself. "Where is Paige?" he asked himself. He looked at the clock on the wall. 5:32 pm. "sigh"

A while later, someone knocked. He got up from bed and walked towards the door. "Who is it?" he asked. "It's Paige, Josh" she said with her high-pitched voice. He unlocked the door and let her inside. She walked towards the bed and lay down; her short cerise hair plopped with her. "So, did you find her?" Josh asked.

"Find who?"

"Amber, the dancer we're going to recruit"

"Oh. I don't think so"

"What?"

"I said I don't think I found her"

"You think or you know?"

"What is with _her _and the party, anyway? It's not like you like her or anything, am I right?"

"I…"

"That's what I thought. giggle Come here, Josh. Lie here with me"

"No thanks, I'm not tired. I'll rent another room so you can have this one"

"But I want you here with me"

"I think I need fresh air" Josh said as he went out the door.

He exhaled as he went downstairs. 'Something's not right…'

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Amber was looking at the ground absent-mindedly. "What are you thinking 'bout, Amber? Is it Josh again?" Trish taunted. "No, actually it's quite different"

"Really? Then what is it?"

"It was this girl I saw earlier."

"What's with her? Is she pretty? What does she look like?" Trish said as she counted the herbs on her hand.

"Quite pretty, she has short pink hair with bangs. The weird thing about her is the way she looked at me"

"What kind of look?"

"Hmm…Like deciding and she was looking at me from head to toe"

"…Maybe she's a lezzy"

"Stop kidding around, Trish. I'm really not in the mood right now"

"Okay okay, Geez, can't take a joke much? Let's go rent a room" she turned to her pet who was trotting behind her, "Yumi-chan, can you hold this for me please?". Yumiko held the herbs and yawned. "Can I sleep the moment we get in the room?" she asked. "Sure. You can sleep while we eat dinner"

O.o

"On second thought, I'll go with you. It's still early after all." "Good choice" Trish said as she went inside the inn. They gathered in front of the innkeeper and Trish said, "We'll have a room please"

"Certainly. Regular or suite, ma'am?" the innkeeper, a man with grayish hair said.

"Regular, we'll only be staying for the night" Amber simply said.

"Okay. You'll be staying in Room 2. Enjoy your stay" he said as he handed them the keys.

"Thank you" Trish said as she grabbed it from him.

"You go ahead. I'll just go to the rest room" Amber said.

"I wanna go with you" Yumi-chan exclaimed.

"Hurry up you two. We'll eat dinner afterwards" Trish replied.

They nodded in unison.

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Josh slowed as he went down the stairs. He saw someone who was kind of familiar, a wizard with purple hair and a bunny band bowing her head and looking at her bag. 'Was she- No, I don't think so. The sohee's not with her and neither is Amber' he thought, confused. He continued to walk downstairs to the innkeeper.

"How may I help you, sir?" the man said.

"I'd like to have another regular room" he replied.

"I'm sorry, sir but I just gave the last room to the wizard with plum hair"

"Oh…okay"

'Dammit! Where will I sleep then?" he thought

"Josh!" someone from the stairs said. He glanced at that direction and saw Paige walking towards him. When she was beside him, she hugged his arm again. "Where will we eat tonight?" she asked. "At the pub" he said monotonously.

"Hmm…okay, so this'll be our very first date then"

"Paige, this is not a date. We're just eating at a pub, nothing else"

"Fine, let's go then"

Josh walked outside the inn and walked along the streets. It was a cold night and a lot of merchants were finally packing their things up. "Isn't this romantic?" Paige sighed dreamily. "'Huh? What's so romantic here?" Josh asked.

"Everything, don't you understand?"

Josh shook his head. 'Where _is_ that pub? Crap, this is so irritating. This day can't possibly get any worse'

Afar, a building with a few dim lights stood wearily. They walked towards it and went inside.

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Amber hurried after Trish who was walking through the streets of Prontera. "Hey Trish, slow down" the dancer said as she gasped for air. "Just follow me, it's just right near the corner" she replied. "God, you're really fast when it comes to food" she said while Yumiko conversely trotted behind her master.

They entered a pub and inside were lots of people drinking, eating, talking and etc. Trish must've banged the door when she entered that some of them even stopped with their drinks and gazed up at them both. They moved towards the bartender and said, "We'll have two of your specialties, one mixed juice and do you have a Tropical Sograt here?" Trish asked. "You're not gonna drink, are you?" Amber said as she grabbed Trish's arm.

"Yes, actually we have. The ingredients are fresh from Morroc" the bartender said. "I'll have one please" Trish said ignoring Amber. She then walked towards an empty table and sat. "Okay, Yumi-chan here's your pet food" She said as she handed her pet a couple of the items.

Yumiko thanked her and chewed on one. "Trish, why did you order an alcoholic drink?" Amber asked impatiently.

"Relax, Amber. I'm just going to try it. Some say they taste sweet and you'll never notice that you're already drunk!"

"Great, but I'm not going to carry a drunken wizard whatever happens"

"I'm not going to be. I'll just try it and…I just can't wait!" she exclaimed.

"Neither can I" Amber replied sarcastically.

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Paige kept talking about something that Josh lost track of it. He wanted to get out that place as soon as possible so he can resume his search for _her_. Later, a woman appeared in front of them and served their order. "Finally! You know how long we've been waiting here?" Paige asked. "I'm really sorry, miss" the woman said apologetically. "You should be-" Paige trailed off. "It's okay, Paige. The food's here, let's just eat" Josh inserted.

Paige murmured some swears but started eating anyhow. Then, something caught Josh's eye. The same wizard from the stairs was walking towards the end of the building, obviously heading to the rest room. She didn't glance at Josh's direction and just walked straight forward. 'She looks really familiar. It can't be just coincidence' he thought. His eyes were locked on the wizard long enough that Paige noticed him. "Josh?" she asked following his gaze.

"Huh?" he asked inattentively.

"Do you know her?" Paige asked as she raised her brow. The way she looks at people when she's criticizing.

"No but she's somehow…familiar"

"Hmph. Not that beautiful, if you ask me"

"sigh I wonder if they already found her"

"Who?...You're not talking 'bout _that girl_ again, are you?"

"No offense, Paige but you act like you're my girlfriend"

"gasp So that means I'm really _not_ your girlfriend?" then she blabbered about things with endless drama and spectacle.

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From the rest room, Trish passed by a table with a pink-haired drama queen. "I thought we were…and then…blah blah…" the girl said. 'With her talking in that speed, a baby can be more understandable than her' with that thought, a smile crept upon her face.

She sat on her previous seat beside Yumiko. "Why are you smiling? Did the Tropical Sograt have its effect on you already?" Amber asked. Trish shook her head, "There's something happening on the other table, some kind of drama. Wanna see?"

"No thanks. Those people maybe need privacy, y'know that?"

"With that play going on? Privacy is what they'll need last" she said as she stood up again.

"Where are you going?" Amber asked, puzzled.

"Forcing you to watch the show" she said as she grabbed Amber's arm and dragged her to the direction of the other table.

"Wh-what? But I don't want to" she tried to loosen the grip of her bestie.

"Yeah me neither so, let's go"

The moment Amber saw the people sitting there, she gasped soflty then froze. The knight with brown hair must have felt her glance that he slowly looked up then smiled.

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"Amber! It's you!" Josh said as he stood up and walked towards the blonde gypsy. "Josh-?...A-amber?" Paige suddenly stammered as soon as she saw Amber.

"Paige, I want you to officially meet Amber and her best friend, Trish" Josh said as he introduced them.

"Uh…H-hi" Paige said while shivering.

"Wait, I think I saw you at the stalls here in Prontera earlier this afternoon" Amber said.

"No, you haven't. I-"

"That's right. Now I'm certain, that was really you. What a coincidence, don't you think?" Amber insisted.

"What do you mean, you met Paige already?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, I think she also saw me, right Paige?" Amber asked as she smiled at her.

Paige, on the other hand, was narrowing her eyes at Amber, "Think so"

"You said you didn't see Amber" he queried.

"I said I think I didn't find her" she replied with uneasiness.

"Find me?" Amber asked, "Were you looking for me?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. We want to recruit you and Trish as one of our party mates" Josh said, "Would you accept?"

"I…"

"I will! As long as there's no initiation whatsoever, I'm in." Trish said, slightly drunk.

"Good. How 'bout you, Amber?" he asked intently.

"I will but there's one condition…"


	3. Vile Warning

(A/N): Our exams are finally over! Hehe. More time for my story. This time, I'll try not to rush it.

* * *

"_Smirk. _A condition? You're joking, right?" Paige raised her brow. The dancer shook her head.

"I didn't actually expect you to say that but I guess we have to wait for the other party members before we consider your offer, would that be alright?" Josh asked.

"Sure, we're not really in a hurry after all" Amber replied. "Uh...Amber? I think I feel sick" Trish said as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"_Sigh_. I guess we have to go home" Amber said to both Paige and Josh.

"We'll take you home, where do you live?" Josh asked.

"We're just staying at the Prontera inn, you?"

"The same, we're also staying there just for the night"

Paige inserted, "Yeah, Josh and _I_ are staying there for the night"

o.O

Amber and Trish looked at each other. "It's not what you think!" Josh claimed. "Okaaay. Uhh…about that 'walking us home' thing?" Trish queried. "Yumi-chan, can you help Trish please?" Amber told the sohee who was just watching the entire scene. She nodded, walked towards her mistress and assisted her.

Amber, on the other hand, was already holding out the door for her best friend and her pet.

"How many did she drink anyway?" Paige asked as she went outside the door.

"Only one, 'twas a Tropical Sograt" Amber answered.

"One?! And she's already drunk?" Paige turned to face Trish, "Lame" she mumbled.

"D'you need help, Yumi?" Josh asked.

Yumiko shook her head as she held Trish's arm.

* * *

Inside Room 2, Trish quickly jumped on the bed even though she's still a meter away. "Guess she's really tired…or drunk" Amber muttered. "Yumi, you've mentioned you're as exhausted as she is. You can sleep if you like"

Yumiko thanked her and lay down beside her sleeping mistress. Amber turned to Josh, "Uh…thank you for taking us home"

"My pleasure, I'm just glad that you're finding time to think about our recruitment" Josh answered.

"No problem. Goodnight"

"G'night to you too" he smiled then left with Paige walking beside him.

Amber sat on the bed beside Trish who was snoring loudly. 'Will they consider my condition? Hmm…hope so' she thought whilst reaching for something in her bag. She held a clear and transparent gem above her eyes. It was a goddess tear, the last thing her big brother gave her. The moment she remembered her brother, she returned it to her bag for she didn't want to think of those horrid times of her life.

She looked at the clock on the table, it showed 10:32 but she still wasn't sleepy. For half an hour, she counted sheep inside her head but that was of no use at all. So, she stood up and went outside the inn. Amber took a walk around Prontera. Everything was serene and ideal. She saw a bench near the heart of the city. She walked towards it, sat and stared at the stars above.

Millions of diamonds sparkled above her. "The night is beautiful but you're just as gorgeous" someone said. She raised her head and saw Josh standing in front of her, smiling.

"Josh? What're you doing here?" she asked.

"Looking for some place to sleep" he said as he laughed.

"Huh? Why? I thought Paige and you are sleeping together…uh…y'know what I mean"

He laughed again, "Yeah, I get it"

"Then, why are you here?"

"I can't sleep…I think" he then sat at the opposite side of the bench.

"Oh ok. Me neither"

"Um…about your condition"

"What about it?"

"May I know what it is?"

Amber smiled, "I think it's better if the rest of your party is here"

Josh nodded and said, "That reminds me, is it okay if we warp to another town?"

"Town? What town?"

"Payon, the party's meeting place. Crimson, the leader and the others will be there tomorrow. Would that be okay?"

"Sure…Josh, can you tell me about yourself?"

"Hm?"

"I just think that you're still a stranger to me even though we've met a number of times"

"Okay, I'll tell you. I'm Josh Claymore and I'm a knight, I was born on May 6 of 1990, seventeen years old. I was born here in Prontera. How 'bout you?"

Amber smiled and said, "I'm Amber Everglade, a dancer with…distant dreams. Born on the twentieth of October, 1991 in the land of destiny, Amatsu. Sixteeen years old"

"Ah. What kind of distant dreams?"

"To be the greatest gypsy"

"Hm. That's not distant"

"For the other dancers maybe"

"No, I'm talking 'bout you. It's not distant at all"

"Yeah right"

* * *

For hours, they talked about different things and the other day…

Josh woke up and saw that Amber was leaning on his shoulder. He stroke a cluster of blonde hair. "You'll be a great dancer for sure, Amber" he whispered to her ear. Amber shifted a little, obviously not comfortable in her position so, he decided to carry her to the inn.

Room 2…

Yumiko opened the door for the knight and the dancer in his arms. Josh laid Amber on the bed. He looked up and saw Trish brushing her hair and braiding it from the back, "What happened?" she asked, worried.

"Nothing, she just fell asleep" his eyes still fixed on Amber.

"Where did she sleep last night?"

"At a bench, near the fountain"

"I'll take it from here, Josh. Thanks for your help"

"Don't mention it" with that said, he turned to the door, gave Amber one last look then left.

* * *

A while later, Amber finally woke up; she stretched and yawned. "Wanna have breakfast, Amber?" Trish asked. Amber blinked, "Huh?"

"I said, would you like to have breakfast?"

"Uh…sure. I'm just gonna ask you one thing"

"What?"

"Who are you and what have you done to Trish?"

"I'm Trish and I've done nothing to myself," she laughed sheepishly, "C'mon, I'm hungry"

"You go ahead. First, I'll take a bath"

"Okay. Yumi-chan, let's go" she said to her pet.

Amber bathed and dressed in her usual dancer outfit. She took the goddess tear from her bag then tied it to her belt. Amber then hurried downstairs and went to the pub to eat. At the table, she saw Paige and her other companions, Trish and Yumiko. "Amber!" Trish called from their table; she waved to the wizard and walked to their direction. 'Where's Josh?' she thought. She sat beside Yumiko and then looked at Trish.

"Good morning, Amber" Paige said to her with emphasis on the dancer's name.

"Uh…good morning too, Paige"

"Did you sleep well last night?" she raised her brow.

"Excuse me?"

"I think she still doesn't know what happened" Trish butted in.

"…Explain it to her then" Paige said.

"Josh said you fell asleep on a bench and brought you to our room this morning" Trish clarified.

"WHAT?! No way. Why did I-" she stopped when she saw Josh coming from the stairs.

"Morning" he greeted as he sat in front of Amber. A waiter appeared and served their order. "Josh, have you mentioned about the warp?" Paige asked changing the current topic and pretending nothing happened. "To Amber, yes. To Trish and Yumiko, no" he answered.

"What warp?" Trish asked as she ate her breakfast.

"We have to warp to another town before they consider my condition" Amber explained.

"_Groan_. Why can't you just approve?" Trish asked.

"…"

Josh, "It's okay. We don't mind"

"I do" Paige mumbled.

Trish, "What town, anyway?"

"Payon" Josh answered.

* * *

After breakfast, they went directly to the Kafra employee. "Payon for five including the pet and hurry up" Paige demanded. "Okay, ma'am". The change of scene quickly occurred and in a couple of seconds, they were in Forest Town.

"Follow me" Paige said as she made her way through Payon.

Amber looked around and saw a building that resembles a temple of some sort. "Let's go, Amber" Trish said as they went through town and past a few portals that the dancer lost track of it. The next thing she knew was that they were walking on a paved bridge and far beyond was a huge castle. As they neared it, Amber noticed there were not many buildings in this extent. "That's the Central Palace of Forest Town," Josh said.

"And this is our party's meeting place in Payon" Paige said from afar, "It was made _especially_ for the party". All of them turned their heads and saw a house much larger and much splendid than the houses before but similar to the buildings that surround the Central Palace. "Awesome!" Trish exclaimed. Josh went near the door and opened it. "Looks like they were here first" he stated.

"We're here" Paige shouted as she entered the house. "Good. Where are our new members?" someone asked from at the front of Amber who was just entering the house. She jumped and looked around, panicking, "Who's there?" "Cool it, Amber. I'm just here" a guy in his early twenties in short tangerine hair with bangs uncloaked in front of her.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Amber. I'm Crimson" he said.

"Uh…nice to meet you too, Crimson" she greeted back.

"And you must be Trish and Yumiko, I'm happy to have met you" he said turning to both of them.

"Same here" Trish said while Yumiko bowed.

"Where's Amber?" Paige interrupted.

"Bought lunch somewhere," he answered "Come inside, we have plenty to talk about"

* * *

Lunch came and so did Angel carrying lots of boxes. "Here's our food!" she said excitedly. "It's herb marinade beef, pizza and for dessert, rainbow cake!" she said, Crimson laughed.

Angel glared at him, "What's so funny?"

"Did you circle Rune-Midgard just to buy lunch?"

"Not really, only half of it" she then joined the laughter, "So, what're you talking about?"

"Anything at all" Josh replied.

"Oh. Where are the others?"

"They said they'll be here-" he stopped when someone came inside, "now"

"What took you so long? Amber and her friends are getting hungry here waiting for you" the Professor asked in a concerned tone.

A Star Gladiator with light blue hair and dark blue eyes wearing a sakkat apologized. And a priestess with shoulder-length green hair wearing a flower band stood beside him. "We were delayed by a few more threats" she said.

Angel's face softened, "Again?"

Both of them nodded.

"_Sigh_. Here are our new friends by the way" she said as she introduced the three of them.

"Nice to meet all of you! My name's Glass and this is my girlfriend, Charm" the gladiator said and the priestess waved at them and smiled.

They sat around a table, "Where's Brick?" Charm asked.

Josh shrugged. "At a pub maybe, getting himself drunk again"

"I think it's better if we eat without him" Angel suggested.

* * *

Past seven in the evening and Brick still wasn't there. Crimson was pacing back and fort, shouting every curse he could think.

"_Sweatdrop._ Pardon him, he's like that when he's angry but he's actually _quite_ kind" Angel said.

Crimson pounded his fists on the table and said, "If he's not going to be here tonight, I'll punch him 'till he pass out and never wake up for a week!"

Yumiko softly whimpered, visibly scared and Trish gasped. 'Hot tempered much' Amber thought.

A bang on the door was heard and Crimson stood up straight. "Looks like we have a visitor," he said with an evil grin and he cracked his knuckles. Angel opened the door and shouted, "Why are you-?! Oh goddess Freya!! I need help! Fast!!" she frantically yelled. Brick appeared to be battered and bruised, almost critical. Crimson ran towards him and assisted Angel. "What happened?!" he asked. "I don't know. Josh! Paige! Help!" she called out.

"Oh my!" Charm muttered as soon as she saw her injured party mate then quickly looked for potions inside a cabinet. And Glass helped carry the gunslinger towards the table and laid him there. Brick had lots of cuts in different parts of his body and blood was almost everywhere. Charm appeared with a bunch of white herbs in hand. She pounded them with a vase right on the table and applied it to Brick's wounds.

Amber, on the other hand, couldn't move. She was frozen in place while everyone was panicking, even Trish who was searching for anything that might help. She was trembling furiously for she remembered a thing in the past. Her big brother's death…

"Heal!" Charm uttered every once in a while but Amber was like in a different world, far away from the party members and her best friend. Everything was coming back to her again. That fateful day that changed everything especially her. But she snapped back when Trish shouted at her, "Amber! Help!"

She was unnerved again but tried helping nevertheless. When the anxiety slowly seized and Brick started to recover, Angel asked what happened.

The gunslinger was regurgitating blood as he talked, "An ambush in Veins"

"Who ambushed you?" Charm asked as she applied anodyne and powdered red and white herbs to Brick's wounds and cuts.

"Skull's party" he replied.

While Brick narrated what happened that day, something caught Amber's eye. "What's that?" she asked as she pointed to Brick's front pocket which contained a folded piece of paper. Crimson got hold of that paper and unfurled it. "It's a note…from Skull" he said. "What does it say?" Paige asked. All of them listened intently as Crimson read it. The note said:

_When you receive this message, it will appear that your friend hasn't died on the way home._

_We just wanted to show you what we can do and what abilities we possess._

_You can show yours in the field of Garden City near the waterline._

_At the end of the month, in the middle of the afternoon. _

_You should come if you don't want the people in Hugel dying in a matter of seconds._

_P.S._

_Don't forget to bring your new members. My party and exceptionally I would like to meet them. _

With that, Amber shuddered. 'Is he crazy?' she thought to herself. "Shit! How the hell did they know?!" Crimson hit the wall as he shouted. "Skull really _has_ connections throughout Rune-Midgard" Paige said.

"I think I've made a bad decision," Trish whispered to Amber at the middle of the party members' discussion. "Don't you always?" she told her. Trish glared back.

Angel might have noticed this because she told them, "We're not going to force you to join our party anymore" and the rest of the party members agreed. "Why?" Amber couldn't help but ask. "Skull's party has become stronger and more overpowering. We can't forgive ourselves if anything happened to you both" she explained.

"But…I-"

"I almost forgot," Crimson inserted "What was your condition?"

"I want you to…h-help me become a gypsy" Amber answered.

Crimson opened his mouth to speak but the dancer stopped him, "Even though it'll take a risk this vast, I'll do it!"

The party looked at each other and Angel smiled, "You have guts but are you really sure about that?"

Amber nodded.

"May I see your whip?" Angel asked her.

"Huh? Why?"

"Trust me" she said holding out her hand.

Amber unfastened the whip from her belt and gave it to Angel. She then observed it, "Hmm…just an ordinary whip?"

"Yes, I got it when I passed my Dancer test. I never had the time to buy another"

Angel turned to Glass then asked, "Where did our last party mate put her whip?"

"Treila? She left it in the cabinet, why?" the gladiator asked.

Angel didn't answer but just went to the cabinet and when she returned, she was carrying a whip. After that, she handed it to Amber.

"What's this?" she asked.

"A rapture rose. It was from our last party mate who was also a dancer, she left it here. I'm sure she won't mind" Angel answered.

"Y-you're giving it to me?"

Angel nodded gently. "Welcome to our party, Amber and Trish"

"Thank you" Amber said and Trish thanked from behind her also.

Amber looked at the whip. It was constructed purely of thorny stems from rosebushes. "Rapture rose" she muttered. Then she noticed something at the end of it, a carved initial. TT. "What does TT stand for?" Amber asked.

"Stands for Treila Twilight, our last member who was also a dancer like you" Crimson answered for Angel.

"Why did she leave her whip then? What happened to her?" Amber asked.

"Long story. Now, remember this, all of you must not kill anyone in Skull's party" Crimson said. "Use only stun, blind, curse or whatever as long as it won't kill a person" he explained further. "You got it?"

The rest of the party including the new members, Trish and Yumiko nodded. "Any questions, new members?" Crimson asked.

"I have," Trish said.

"Yes?"

"What's up with this Skull guy? Why is he doing this to your party?"

"The reason he's ruining our party is because of greed and dissatisfaction" Crimson said.

Afterwards, Angel added, "You see, he was a member of our party once. This party is also connected to a guild which was one of the most powerful in Rune-Midgard but Skull who wasn't contented being just a member, started his own guild but when there's still competition for him, he could and would not accept it"

"So, he started to tear down every guild that came his way" Josh put in.

"Does that mean we're also a part of that guild now?" Amber asked.

"Not yet, we still haven't told them about this" Crimson said.

"Oh…Do we have to practice or something?" Trish asked.

"It's your choice. Some of us practice while some prepare items like pots and healing herbs" Charm explained.

"Oooo. Can I be the one who prepares the items?" Trish asked.

Josh, "Sure. How 'bout you, Amber? Would you like to train with us?"

Amber gazed at her lucky charm and said, "Yeah okay"

* * *

That night, Amber went outside the porch of the house when everyone was sleeping; she took out her lucky charm. When she looked at that gem, she can recall her older brother's last words, _Follow your dream…_

That was it…

With not a moment too soon, he died in front of Amber…

Nothing could ever make her forget those nightmares that still haunt her until now…

Nothing and no one…

* * *

(A/N): Chapter 3 is finally over! Whew, it took me a few nights to get this finished and it seems like the more I move on to the next chapter, the longer it takes for me o finish it. Hehe.

Anyway, chap 4 will be coming soon...

Need reviews, by the way.


	4. Nostalgic Nightmare

(A/N): Sorry for the late chapter. There was a problem with our CPU and we have to reformat causing it to _sniff_ delete ALL my files! Until now, I can't get over it. What I meant was, all my hard work! Gone forever!! _Ehem_. Don't mind me…Here's chapter 4

* * *

Two siblings were strolling along the Land of Destiny side by side. The hunter, who was older than his younger sister by eight years, had flaxen hair which framed his calm face. The little archer who was nine years of age was twiddling with her hair as she walked.

"Aaron?" the archer started.

"Yes?" his older brother asked.

"Why don't you have a girlfriend? Doesn't anyone like you?"

He laughed, "Maybe but mostly the reason why I don't have a girlfriend is because I have to protect my little sister" he then patted her little sister's hair.

She, on the other hand, shook his hand away. "Yeah right"

Her brother always had this serenity which can be visible through his face. The wind blew gently as they continued to walk along the woods.

Somehow, everything was turning out alright for the siblings after their parent's death; an accident that occurred not too long ago took their parent's lives. Both of them were devastated, a few years of melancholy and misery. Nevertheless, they've moved on and thought nothing else could go wrong. Then again, they were mistaken.

* * *

It was a peaceful night in Amatsu until harpies assailed their town. The archer went outside and saw everything turmoil. Houses were being burned down and people were running and screaming. She started to feel anxious when Aaron went outside and dragged her to a place unknown.

"Everything's gonna be alright" he said while he ran.

Even though she was young, she knew her brother was either lying or was being stupid. Judging from the chaos around her, nothing will be adequate even for her and her brother. They stopped under a big cherry blossom tree and the hunter knelt in front of his sister. "Stay here and remain hidden"

"But-"

"Listen to me, okay? Do as I say and do not, under any circumstances, get out of hiding" with that, he left.

From afar, the archer can see his brother fight off a couple of harpies. She then saw a blazing shuriken flying towards his brother and then, it passed towards his leg throwing him off balance. The half-vulture and half-woman creatures gathered around him. The archer couldn't help but scream, noticing her mistake, she covered her mouth. But it was too late; the rest of the harpies turned their attention to her. With the last of his strength, he gathered a few arrows then exclaimed, "Arrow Shower!"

Harpies fell to the ground with a _thump._ The archer was frozen in place for her brother was lying flat to the ground, barely breathing; she heaved her feet towards her brother but stopped when out of the darkness, a lady with auburn hair shouted Aaron's name and ran in his direction. The archer realized that the lady was a dancer. She stood in awe because of the lady's beauty; her hair was in a pretty shade of auburn which also looked silken from the light of the fire. Her eyes were like emerald and in that moment, were filled with tears and grief for her brother.

'Who was she?' the archer thought.

The dancer was crying over Aaron, her lips trembling while she talked. Although she couldn't hear their conversation, she knew then they felt something for each other. With not a moment too soon, the dancer left still crying and her hands were covering her face. The archer ran over to him, her heart hammering against her chest. She was still panting when she knelt beside him.

Her brother spoke, "Take good care of yourself"

"Please don't leave me, Aaron" she said, weeping.

"I'm sorry if I haven't done my job well"

"Aaron, please!"

"Don't cry, my little sister…" he stroke her sister's hair.

The archer bit her lip to avoid whimpering.

"This is for you…" Aaron took out an old blue box from his pocket then handed it to the sobbing girl beside him.

She took it, her hands quavering along with the frightening thoughts of her brother's state.

"I beg you, Aaron. Stay with me"

"…Follow your dream" with that, the archer was by herself.

The archer was once again broken hearted and…left alone. But then, she felt someone watching her from somewhere. She raised her head then saw the silhouette of the man who threw the shuriken. The full moon glowed eerily behind him and the wind swayed his hair. She saw the glint of his dagger and then, he disappeared.

A sorrowful melody surrounded her as she opened the old blue box. There was a transparent gem inside and at the bottom was a note which said:

_To my sweet-tempered little sister,_

_I wish you a Happy Birthday._

_My gift to you is a Goddess Tear. _

_Take good care of it _

_but don't forget to take care of yourself as well. _

_From your big brother,_

_Aaron. _

She cried even harder when she saw her brother's handwriting. Tomorrow will be her tenth birthday and she forgot all about it just because of the things that happened today. It occurred to her that this was not the end of her sadness, for it was only the cruel beginning of everything.

The archer saw the shuriken that made her brother lose balance the moment she turned her head. She took it and saw that it was a Fuuma Shuriken Rekka; very known for its fire property but only a few ninjas own them because of their expensive value. From then on, she couldn't have her vengeance for her brother wouldn't have been happy about it although she knew that there will be a time wherein she will have to break that vow…

* * *

Amber woke up trembling with tears falling on her cheeks. She was having her nightmares again. She gazed at Trish beside her and noticed she was still sleeping so she bit her lip and wiped her tears. Yumiko, on the other hand, entered the room discreetly.

"Is it time for breakfast, Yumi-chan?" Amber asked.

"Not really. All three of us missed breakfast but Angel left us zenies so we can eat at the pub"

"She shouldn't have left us the money; _Sigh_, I suppose we'll just return it afterwards. Will you wake Trish up while I take a bath?"

Yumiko nodded.

Amber went directly to the bathroom and bathe. When she got out, Trish was already awake but still yawning.

"What're we going to do today?" Trish asked.

Amber shrugged as she tightened the towel that enveloped her body.

"_Yawn_. We'll go ahead and eat while you dress up" she said as she stood up and went out.

* * *

At the pub…

Everyone was seated around a table.

"Where's Amber?" Paige asked, "We should be heading to our training grounds by now"

"She's still dressing up, so relax and let's eat" Trish explained.

"How can you relax when the combat's next week?!"

Picking up an Assorted Shish Kebob then putting it into her mouth, "_Chomp_. I don't know just _munch_ just calm down, I think"

"That's the same thing!"

"_Munch munch_. Are those worry lines?"

"Huh? Where?"

"On your forehead"

"What? That's impossible! I never had a line of anything before!"

"Well now you do. So, shut up and lemme eat"

"_Gasp._ What did you just –"

"_Chomp._ You heard me"

"_Veins popping. _Why don't we just settle this outside, huh?"

"After I eat"

The two got everyone's attention in an instant that Angel has to intervene.

"No one's going to settle anything, Paige. Now, let's just wait for Amber and Trish while she eats"

"It's not my fault! She was the one who started it all!"

"Don't lie to me, I was right here"

"What? So now you're on her side? And you're not…I mean…everyone of you are not even worried?"

"Not really. Trish is right, by the way. You do have worry lines"

Amber appeared a while later and sat down beside Yumiko.

"So, what'd I miss?" Amber asked.

"Nothing really" Josh said.

"Oookay. Then why are you all smiling?"

"Oh that, there was just another stage performance here a while ago but you missed it" Charm said, snickering.

"Aww…too bad"

"Well then, now that everyone's here, shall we go to the training grounds?" Crimson asked.

Everyone agreed and then they all left the pub.

* * *

The same routine, Charm opened a portal and they all went inside…

The landscape changed and revealed a place full of people but mostly merchants. Amber can see a ship from afar and can smell the gust of wind from the sea. The buildings were mostly topped with blue roofs and beyond the town were leafy trees.

"Welcome to Alberta!" Glass said from behind.

"Wow" Amber whispered to herself, completely astounded.

"Nice town, isn't it?" Crimson asked.

"Yes…but…where will we train?"

"At the forest, duh" Paige answered.

"Forest? I thought you have your own training grounds?" Trish asked.

"Yes, we have our own grounds but it's in the forest" Angel explained.

"Oh ok. Well then, let's go!" Trish exclaimed.

Amber again lost track of the way.

(A/N: As you can probably see, she doesn't have a good sense in direction. She can easily forget when to turn right or left, which portal to go through and what signs should she watch out for. So you can only imagine her facial expression when she saw a small hut in a clearing)

"We're here, at last!" Paige said.

"Really? How long have we been walking anyway?" Amber asked.

"Ten minutes, I think. Why?" Trish queried.

"Nothing. So, what now?"

"Now we train while Charm, Trish and Yumiko look for the ingredients for potions and etcetera" Angel answered

"Oh ok. How do we exactly start training?"

"Pick anyone"

"Uhh…I pick Paige?"

"Okay. Now, you fight with her"

"Wh-what?!"

Angel didn't answer for she was in battle stance, ready to fight Brick.

"Hey!" Paige shouted from afar.

Amber glanced at her direction and saw that she was already preparing herself to shoot Amber with her bow and arrow.

'I am sooo dead' Amber thought.

(A/N): This chapter doesn't make any sense…AT ALL! _Groan. _I'm sleepy but anyways, need reviews and comments. I'll try to go to the most interesting parts of the story as fast as I can. Hehe. 'Till next time!


	5. Fight of the Felines

Fight of the Felines

a.k.a.

CAT FIGHT!

* * *

A/N: Wow, I can't believe how long I've been gone. Sigh, that's what you get when you're in college. Anyway, I kinda forgot on how to continue but I'll try to keep up.

Here's chapter 5. R&R!

* * *

Amber froze in fear. 'What to do? I haven't used my whip that much and if I use my bow, she might beat me to it. _Sigh_, I have no choice' she thought as she grabbed her quiver full of crystal arrows.

Amber released an arrow and it gave a glowing blue sheen. Paige smirked and released also an arrow which, on the other hand, gave a fiery gleam. The arrows collided into one another but Paige's arrow melted the blue one and the red arrow was now heading towards Amber.

"_Gasp_. What the-?" the arrow hit Amber's arm. She glanced at the wound, it wasn't deep but it was enough to let it bleed. Paige stood in front of Amber, her hands on her waist.

"Wh-what just happened?" the dancer asked.

The hunter showed Amber her quiver, "As you can see, these are Fire Arrows"

"Yeah but how did it-"

"It just happens that _I_ am stronger than you. That's why it incinerated your Crystal Arrows"

"Y-you're stronger?"

"Duh. Now, are we going to continue this or what?"

Amber looked around and saw the other pairs fighting. She caught a glimpse of Josh fighting mightily with Glass. He must've noticed that Amber was looking at him that he smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Amber!" Paige shouted.

"Yes?"

"We're in the middle of a fight here"

"I…was just taking a rest"

"You can't take a rest while you're being incinerated by Skull's party or in our situation, me. Now let's fight!"

"Uh…ok"

Amber stretched while Paige took her distance. While walking, Paige said, "Okay, so you don't know how to use your whip properly"

"What? How'd you know?" Amber asked.

"Only an idiot wouldn't know that you're a total newbie when it comes to using your whip because," Paige checked her nails then glanced at Amber again, "it is beyond obvious"

The dancer was taken aback, "I-is it really that...obvious?"

Paige nodded, "So while we're fighting, you're not allowed to use your bow. You can choose to attack me with a knife or your whip"

"Since when did you have the authority to order me?"

"Since I figured out that your incompetence _will_ lessen the chance of our party to win the coming skirmish"

The rest of the party members looked at their direction. Paige and Amber didn't realize that they were making a lot of noise.

"Oi! What's up with you two?" Brick yelled.

Crimson added, "Whatever the problem, you should sort it out"

"And without yelling, if you please" Angel said.

"Sorry 'bout that" Amber replied as she thought of a battle plan. 'Everything Paige said was true. What do I do now?' she thought as she glimpsed at Paige who was calmly eying her.

Then, she asked her opponent, "Are we allowed to use items?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "…Yes"

Amber smiled to herself and readied her whip. 'It's worth a try'

"Are we going to do this or not?" Paige announced as she was getting more irritated.

"Ready when you are", she said as she took out a bottle with a handle on each side from her small bag. It contained a dark orange solution.

"What's that?"

"You will know soon enough", she drank the bottle and threw it on the ground.

Amber smiled and without another second, she ran towards her challenger. Paige was taken by surprise; the dancer moved swiftly than normal that she appeared to be a blur thenceforth, she completely disappeared.

Paige frantically looked at around at that moment, she felt a presence behind her. She immediately turned around but someone already hit her hard with a whip.

The hunter screamed as she fell to the ground.

Amber took it as a chance and attacked her continuously with a whip, she knew she couldn't use a skill for it might hurt her terribly.

Paige, on the other hand, covered her face with her arms. Unable to use her bow and arrow, she grabbed hold of Amber's thorned whip, blood flowing from her hands. She forcefully grabbed the whip out of Amber's grasp and stood up.

'Great' Amber thought.

"My turn" Paige grinned evilly. She took out her knife and tried to impale Amber.

Amber stepped out of the way and also took out her blade.

"So it's now a melee battle, eh?" Paige queried as she slowly panted.

"Why? Got a problem?"

"No, I'm just worried that you might get hurt"

"Thanks but I don't need your concern. I believe in myself"

"_Smirk_. Too bad you can only rely on belief"

"We'll just see about that" the dancer stated as she fought with Paige. The two knives clashed over and over again.

* * *

The sun shone brightly as it was nearing the afternoon. As the two ladies battled, they didn't realize that the rest of the party members were already observing them.

"Why do I feel like that is not an ordinary exercise training?" Glass asked.

"I think they're fighting for someone" Angel, the professor, smiled.

"Really? Who?" Brick interrupted.

"Who else?" Angel answered as she glanced at the knight who was watching the scene with awe.

Brick still thought about what Angel said for a moment but shook it off eventually, "I don't get it but anyway, who do you think will win? Although I like Amber more, I know Paige's gonna win"

"Same here. The dancer's still a noob so yeah, Paige will win" Glass put in.

"Huh. Nevertheless, I never thought a dancer like her can fight like that" the assassin said guilelessly.

Brick appeared behind them, "Me too, I thought she was just a weak goddess"

"Of course you never thought of that. You think all women are weak" Angel snapped back at the party leader.

Crimson glanced at her for a few seconds then grinned, "Regardless of what I said, I never thought of you as weak"

o.O

Angel's face turned a deep red while Josh, Brick and Glass burst into laughter. A few moments later, they returned to what they were looking at at the first place. They all gasped.

* * *

Both were panting really hard. Amber had the most cuts but is more active than her rival.

"Ready to _pant_ surrender _pant_ yet?" Paige shouted.

"In your dreams!" Amber rushed to Paige and attacked her unceasingly. The hunter again shielded herself with both her arms but Amber was still too fast.

With the potion's effect rapidly fading, the dancer repeatedly stroke Paige until her knife flew to the ground.

Paige struggled to get out of Amber's range to get her blade but nothing happened.

Amber then raised her dagger towards Paige's neck and pinned her to the ground.

"Well?" the dancer asked.

"Ugh. Fine! _pant pant_ I _sigh_ surrender" Paige said finally.

The dancer can't help but smile to herself.

* * *

The whole party was speechless.

"What just happened?" Brick broke the silence.

Josh grinned, "I think Amber just proved you wrong"

"That proves everyone that we can have a good fight as well as boys" Angel laughed.

Brick scratched his head as they neared the two girls. They both looked exhausted and both were battered and bruised.

"Nice fight" Crimson said.

Amber turned to look at them then giggled, "Thanks. I didn't expect I'd win though"

"Neither did we" Brick muttered under his breath.

Glass elbowed him. "What? I was telling the truth", the gunslinger reasoned.

Amber just smiled, "That's okay, Brick. You're lucky I'm so tired right now. Anyway, I'm gonna rest at the hut...It's really hot here" she said as she began to walk.

After a few steps, the dancer has slowed her pace. Then, all of a sudden, she fainted.

"Amber!" Josh exclaimed as he ran towards her.

"Carry her to the hut and we'll try to sort things out" Crimson advised. "Brick, help Paige"

"What?!? But I want Josh to help me!" Paige cried.

"Will you stop complaining and just let Brick help you?!?" Angel snapped back at her.

Paige pursed her lips.

The professor saw a glint of the bottle on the corner of her eye, she bent and picked it up.

"Meet you at the hut, Josh" Glass said to the knight who was cradling the dancer on his arms.

Josh simply nodded as he continued to stare at Amber.

He wiped away a smudge of dirt off her face and whispered, "I knew you could do it"

First, he hesitated but then, Josh neared his face so as to kiss her

...

...

...

but he stopped and sighed. "I don't want to be unfair to you, Amber. Not now"

* * *

At the hut...

Amber was laid on a small bed while Angel applied Anodyne to her wounds.

"_Hmph_. Guess she couldn't handle me so that means I won, right?"

"No you didn't, Paige. If this was a real fight, she would've already killed you by now. Besides, Amber is just tired and that's the side effect of the potion she just consumed" the assassin explained.

Paige wiped the blood on her hands and asked, "What was that stuff she drank anyway?"

"I'm not sure but I think it's Tyr's Blessing...a potion that possesses the spirit of Tyr, god of battle" Angel inserted.

"What? She possessed the spirit of a god and yet she still fainted?" Paige asked, surprised.

"Well, long story short, she overdid it. When you use Tyr's Blessing, the speed of the user is increased while the energy is decreased, of course" Angel explained, "but when the energy is already consumed already, the potion turn its attention to the blood"

"You mean, it decreases blood count?" Brick queried.

"Yes but it's not lethal. Although, there is still one cause of a side effect" she paused, "What did she eat for breakfast, Josh?"

"...Sesame Pastry" Josh said plainly.

"That explains it, the potion's active duration and ability will not work properly when it is being used with Honey Pastry, Sesame Pastry and Rainbow Cake"

Paige raised her eyebrow, "Why is that?"

"The potion doesn't agree well with flour and honey" Angel explained.

The pink-haired hunter laughed, "Well, that was stupid of her"

"Actually, that was a pretty smart move, Paige" Crimson said.

"Yeah, she won over you" Brick chuckled as he drank Green Beer. "Not to mention, what a noob you say she is"

"Shut up! That was clearly because of luck, nothing more. You can't expect me to believe that she's stronger than I am!" Paige exclaimed, outraged.

"Just be careful, Paige, Amber must be really lucky" Glass half smiled.

Paige groaned, stomped her feet and walked out of the hut.

"You really think it was just luck?" Glass asked after Paige got outside.

Crimson grabbed a glass of Green Beer and said, "Only one-third of it"

"And the other two-third is pure talent and skill" Angel said, proudly.

* * *

It was nearly dusk and the couple, Josh and Amber, were left alone in the hut while the others continued to train.

The soft whiff of the air enveloped them as the knight sat closely beside her.

Josh never left her side the moment he laid her there. Light shone on her angelic face as she continued to dream.

"I'm sorry if I have to do this to you, Amber but I have no choice..." he caressed her face and sighed deeply.

"I want you to know that I really like you..." he gently touched her hand and kissed it lightly.

"...but that's the problem. I don't want to you to fall in love with me because-" Josh was cut short when someone came in.

"Josh?" Angel asked from the door.

"Y-yeah?"

"Trish and Charm just arrived and they brought Mochi and Salty Rice Cakes...Let's eat"

"..." he still laid his eyes on her.

"She's gonna be fine, Josh. Trust me" the professor reassured.

"Okay...Be there in a sec"

"Alright" Angel left and slowly closed the door behind her.

The knight brushed aside her hair, stood up and walked towards the door.

As he was about to leave, he turned around and whispered, "...I don't want you to have the same fate as Treila"

He bowed his head and pondered for a moment, "I don't think you can take much pain as she did"

With that said, he left.

* * *

A/N: As you can see, I'm not so good with making battles. Lol. That's why this story is about adventure and romance.

Well, chapter 5 is done. I just wish someone out there liked it. Thanks for reading! ^_^

Also, don't forget to review.

* * *

_This is for a past love. _

_You hurt me so bad, it hurts even more to move on._

_I know you'll never read this but I want you to know that it's hard to love a guy like you and even harder to let you go._

_May you be happy now. I love you, langga. _

_P.S._

_I'll pound your face when I see you! So hide now!  
_

* * *


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